Recommended for elementary school students! Science fair topics & craft ideas
Speaking of summer vacation, choosing a topic for the independent research project can often be tough.
Science experiments and crafts are both fun! If your child is good at crafts, we recommend crafts because they can enjoy the process as they go.
When they get absorbed in it, they might even finish in just a few days.
Here, we’ll introduce a variety of ideas for independent research and crafts! If you’re struggling to pick a theme, please use these as a reference.
To create fun summer memories, make a one-of-a-kind project of your own!
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- Recommended for lower elementary school students! A collection of plastic bottle craft ideas made with everyday materials.
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- Toys you can make from cardboard crafts! Authentic ideas you can build and play with
- Simple but awesome! Craft ideas for upper-grade girls
- Crafts parents and kids can enjoy together. Recommended craft ideas to keep children entertained.
For lower grades (41–50)
I tried making a Super Ball.
Super balls are attractive for their colorful appearance and exceptional bounciness.
Because they absorb impact and rebound strongly, many of you probably remember bouncing them high when you were kids.
How about making your own super ball by hand? This time, we’ll use a store-bought kit, so there’s no need to gather materials individually—you can easily make one by following the included instructions.
Since the process involves using hot water and fine metallic powder, be sure to work together with an adult.
Create a one-of-a-kind original ball and have fun playing with it over summer vacation!
For lower grades (51–60)
air cannon
It’s a familiar experiment you often see on TV and other media! You can easily make an air cannon just by cutting a round hole in a cardboard box.
If you clap the sides with both hands, you can observe the air shooting out.
You can also do plenty of fun experiments, like setting up empty boxes or candles and seeing how many meters the air from the cannon can reach.
dollhouse
If she loves dolls, why not try making a dollhouse? In this idea, colored boards and photo frames are used to create walls and windows.
Using pins for furniture legs and buttons for handles, you can build a surprisingly charming dollhouse with just items from a 100-yen shop or things you already have at home.
These days, many miniature furnishings are sold at 100-yen shops, so you can also modify and use those.
Go ahead and create your ideal room.
Find braille
Braille can be found in surprising places in everyday life.
To distinguish shampoo from conditioner, shampoo bottles have ridged bumps and indentations.
On household landline phones, the number 5 has a small dot so you know it’s the center of the keypad.
Beer cans have Braille reading “alcohol” near the tab to tell them apart from juice.
Even seasonings in similar containers—like mayonnaise, ketchup, mirin, and soy sauce—actually have Braille labels, so there’s still plenty to discover just within the home, and hunting for them can be fun.
pachinko
In the past, weren’t there many men who played with slingshots? It’s fun to launch stones and hit targets! Prepare a Y-shaped wooden stick, two rubber bands, a piece of leather, and some twine.
Tie one rubber band to each side of the wooden stick and wrap twine over the knots to keep them from coming loose.
Punch holes in both sides of the leather piece, thread the rubber bands through, and tie them—done! Get some suitable stones, make sure no one is around, and have fun.
It’s also great to compare how far different stones can fly!
locked treasure chest
Treasure chests are kind of exciting, aren’t they? And this one even comes with a lock! It’s perfect for curious first graders because they can make it while learning how a lock works.
The process is to use cardboard to create the box, lid, and key parts, then assemble them.
As long as you cut and prepare the parts correctly, you can just glue them together and the build will go smoothly.
Since you’ll be using a hot glue gun to bond the cardboard, be careful to avoid burns while working.
There’s a URL in the video description where you can download the templates, so be sure to check it and give it a try!
Aroma Fragrance
If you’re looking for an easy, summery craft, I recommend making an aroma fragrance jar! Prepare a jar, gel ice packs, blue food coloring, essential oils, and decorations like marbles or seashells.
First, fill the jar about one-third full with the gel from the ice packs and add the food coloring to tint it.
Once the color is set, add more gel and a few drops of your favorite essential oil.
Finally, add the decorations and put the lid on—you’re done! Using blue food coloring with marbles or seashells makes it look like you’ve captured the sea inside the jar.
Try creating one with your favorite theme!